1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to reading light brackets and more particularly to a lighting bracket assembly suitable for use in aviation applications.
2. The Prior Art
A number of lighting fixtures are known which are designed to be recessed within a ceiling. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,258 to Lundquist relates to an electric wall fixture having a universally mounted lamp for theatrical, architectural and commercial lighting.
The fixture includes a casing, a ceiling plate, a hollow spherical segment truncated on opposite sides to provide two circular openings, a yoke with arms which engage trunnions on the segment and a compression spring on a bolt above the casing. Pressing the arms together enable them to clear the trunnions to permit rotation of the yoke relative to the casing. The casing is supported in the ceiling by a plaster ring set in the ceiling having an integral out-turned flange at its lower edge, an annular plate providing a step at the exposed undersurface of the flange, and a ceiling plate seated on the ledge flush with the exposed surface of the ceiling. However, as shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,258, this design has a rather pronounced protrusion of the lamp beyond both the annular plate and the ceiling plate.
A number of protruding ball and socket assemblies for aircraft that permit the orientation of light are also known with three pronged bezel elements as a retention mechanism to hold the lens in place. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,227 to Aikens and U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,087.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,297 to Birk et al. relates to an aircraft reading light including a ball-shaped housing and a lamp support assembly that is normally retained in but removable from the housing. The lamp support assembly includes coaxial inner and outer sleeves and a lamp socket mounted on one of the sleeves. The inner sleeve is movable relative to the outer sleeve between a braced position in which the lamp support assembly is retained in the housing, and a released position in which the lamp support assembly is released for removal from the housing. The outer sleeve includes a number of longitudinally directed fingers each provided with an outwardly directed detent. To replace a lamp, the inner sleeve is manually forced upwardly into the housing, which frees the fingers from an abutting surface and provides enough clearance between the fingers and the inner sleeve to radially permit inward deflection of the fingers sufficient to free the detents.
Other patents of general interest are U.S. Pat. No. 2,782,295 to Schwenkler; U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,404 to Ozawa; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,004 to Schmidt, Jr.
Although a variety of lighting fixture assemblies are known at the present time, there is still a need for a lighting bracket assembly which provides an aesthetically pleasing flush surface on the passenger side of an installation and which is capable of directing light through the center of a fixed lens while allowing rotation at installation throughout a range of up to 20 degrees from center in any direction, without tools, and then locking in place.
A lighting bracket assembly is provided for use, for example, in airborne reading light applications, which offers significantly greater mounting flexibility then conventional designs for aircraft lighting systems. The lighting bracket has a base, a lens holder, a retaining ring, and a light housing, all preferably formed from molded plastic.
The base, which may have a textured surface, is preferably adapted to be fastened to an installation and has a top edge radiused to define a first sphere, and bottom edge which forms a locking channel.
The lens holder is disposed within the locking channel and is adapted to provide upon installation of the assembly an external surface continuous with the surface behind which the assembly is installed.
The retaining ring is fastened to the base and may include a plurality of stop members for limiting rotation of the light housing. Preferably, three stop members are spaced 120 degrees apart to limit rotation such that the light housing wing member opposite the stop cannot rotate free from the retaining ring.
The light housing is biased by the retaining ring and includes a back portion with an outer circumference from which a plurality of curved wing members extend. Preferably, three wing members are equally spread from each other along the outer circumference of the light housing back portion. The wing members, which may be provided at their bottom surfaces with a compliant material, define the contour of a second sphere concentric to the first sphere extending from the back portion along the outer circumference. The light housing is adapted to rotate through an angular range of up to 20 degrees upon application of force against the bias of the retaining ring.
Preferably, the retaining ring has a plurality of screws mounted through a plurality of coil springs then through clearances in the top edge of the base and are fastened into the bushings. The wing members receive pressure applied by the springs from the retaining ring to lock the light housing against the base at a high friction interface preventing rotation. The light housing is adapted to rotate through an angular range of up to 20 degrees upon application of force to the light housing against the pressure applied by the springs.
This invention may also be embodied such that rotation is limited to a two dimensional arc crossing the vertical axis of the light source, but is not limited to these configurations.